1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains generally to window coverings, and more particularly to a window shutter assembly having a recessed side actuating louver
2. Description of the Background Art
Window shutters are used to shield a room or area from the elements, as well as to provide privacy and security to persons therein. In addition, window shutters preferably also add to the aesthetic appeal to the decor of both the room when viewed internally, and the structure or building when viewed externally.
Window shutters having adjustable louvers serve the foregoing purposes while allowing for air to circulate or pass through the window when the window shutter is closed. The louvers, which are typically disposed horizontally and parallel to each other, are movable angularly between a closed position wherein it serves as a barrier to the elements, to an open position wherein air may flow therethrough. Positioning the louvers at any point between the fully closed position and the fully open position not only allows for restricting or controlling air flow therethrough, but also directing the air flow.
In order to adjust a plurality of louvers simultaneously, an adjustment arm or member is attached to the louvers, which essentially chains them together so that moving any one of the louvers to any position causes a corresponding movement of the remaining louvers that are correspondingly attached by the adjustment arm or member. This obviously facilitates louver adjustment. The problem that arose with the employment of the adjustment arm or member is that it was somewhat obtrusive and when disposed along the middle section of the louvers, it partially obstructed the view through the louvers when they are open. There are some designs that place the adjustment arm or member on the side edge of the louver so as to prevent obstruction of the view therethrough when the louvers are open, however, these adjustment arms or members, regardless of whether they are disposed in the center or side edge of the louvers, generally detract aesthetically from the overall appearance of the window shutter.
To solve the problems of obstruction and aesthetics caused by the adjustment arm or member, internal mechanisms were incorporated within the window shutter to allow for simultaneous adjustment of the louvers. These internal adjustment mechanisms proved to be complicated, requiring an excessive number of components and thus are very expensive to manufacture.
For a window shutter to open and closed within a window opening, a hanging strip is used in conjunction with each window shutter. The hanging strip includes hinges for the attachment of the window shutter thereto thereby allowing the window shutter to swing between a closed and an open position. The hanging strip basically serves as an interface between the window shutter and the side wall surfaces of the window opening.
Due to variations in tolerances, the side wall surfaces of the opening in most windows typically do not form a straight line, nor are they perfectly perpendicular to the bottom or top surfaces of the window openings. As such, crevices exist between the side wall surfaces and hanging strips when window shutters are installed in the window opening. These crevices allow for the passage of the weather elements therethrough, as well as reduce the privacy enjoyed by the occupants within the room or area enclosed thereby, thereby defeating the purpose of closing the window shutters in the first place. Inherent in the configuration and function of window shutters, gaps are also formed between the hanging strip and the window shutter, as well as between a pair of window shutters placed adjacent one another, when the window shutter is in the closed position.
Accordingly, there is a need for an adjustable window shutter having a louver adjustment that is relatively inconspicuous, yet simple in design and inexpensive to manufacture. There is also a need for a window shutter that effective conceals gaps formed between the window opening and the hanging strip, between the hanging strip and the window shutter, and also between two window shutters, when the window shutters are closed. The present invention satisfies these needs, as well as others, and generally overcomes the deficiencies found in the background art.